What

is to be done?

A government of national unity of course

We as a people are utterly and disastrously divided faced off, on
opposite sides of a seemingly unbridgeable chasm. On the one side are
the forgotten and dispossessed they have risen up in a populist revolt.
But their plight gave opening to a sociopath and his strongman
blandishments rather than the white knight who might save them, he
threatens the blackest totalitarian night that can befall a people. In
response, there has quickly arisen a plethora of movements, to set the
course right (for a sample, see a brief postscript at the end).
Herein, a proposal, from three weeks ago, to bridge that chasm a
government of national unity. (When viewed on the web, an
accompanying document, next down the page, sets the stage with a why
and how post mortem, an autopsy.)

Wherever you come out on policy:

Money in politics, plutocratic control of governance, which displaces
democracy, and so to the Supreme Court
And so, wresting the economy back from plutocrats, for a middle class /
elevating out of an underclass
Roe v Wade, and womens reproductive rights, and so the Supreme Court
Safe stewardship of nuclear weapons
Use of American power, military and diplomatic, around the globe, and
dealing with foreign heads-of-state bullies, some nuclear madmen
Respect, for all gods chillun utterly rejecting bigotry
Resolution of immigrant status
And so forth and so forth, on policy

Wherever you may come out of policy I think it likely there can be fairly
widespread agreement that we cannot tolerate, to allow control of the levers of state
by:

What has been unmistakably demonstrated, over two years of campaigning, to
be a sociopathic personality

What is to be done?

Precisely precisely this situation is what our founding fathers had in mind with
the Electoral College.

While there is nextto-endless argument about pros and cons of the Electoral
College, the record shows that its creators intended a second look, by wise minds,
to insure a sound choice, for the road ahead.

What is to be done?
page 2

For instance (quoting the New York Post), Alexander Hamilton thought the electors
would make sure the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is
not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.

In the present case, the electorate itself also made the sound choice. By what we
consider the democratic bedrock: a majority vote. The popular tally rejects the
sociopath with a 2.8 million-vote margin. That betters the sociopath by a solid
2 plus percentage points a distinct, unshakeable rejection, by the fundamental
democratic criterion: majority vote.

In this case, the Electoral College need only simply confirm the wise choice made by
the people. In fact , there is a change.org petition, addressed to the Electors, now
with over four and a half million signatures.

Thus the Electoral College can recognize that the Oval Office does not tolerate a
sociopathic type, who

Lies constantly seemingly unable even to discern reality from fantasy.
Cunningly uses these sound-bite lies to hoodwink a vulnerable cohort, la
takeovers by totalitarians from history. (Vulnerable? 32 million Americans
are illiterate cannot even read; 68 million read between a sixth- and eighth-
grade level. On the order of 20 percent of the population, certainly more
than the total Trump vote if being illiterate of course does not favor
turning out to vote.)
Lacking any commitment to principle, such as to the Constitution, shifts
chameleon-like, his thrust and demeanor. To serve best his con of whichever,
whoever is the target of the moment. A particular sociopath marker.
Reflexively rounds on anyone who criticizes him, no matter how insignificant
the perceived slight, counter-attacking, usually with more lies. Obviating any
possibility for productive dialog. So keeping an enemies list for retribution,
investing resources in attempted revenge.
Vice versa, reflexively responds to anyone praising / flattering him, so sets
himself up to be played by that person, we might say like a violin.
Adopts positions following the principle, hmmm Ill latch onto what that
last person I spoke to said. So, constantly changing
All of this revealing: there is no there there. No actual core of a person,
evincing absence of any reliable, comfortable identity, which others might
depend on going forward.
o To wit, a primary marker for the sociopathic personality. A most
fragile ego, lacking much if any authenticity at all. With of course
most extreme vulnerability, and so bullying its defense mechanism, to
erect fortress walls around the extreme, felt weaknesses.
Consequently leaves utterly no basis for trust the necessary bedrock for
governance.

What is to be done?
page 3

And without regard for others the sociopathic disease no basis for
championing a public good. Necessarily the starting place for public service.

This does not even begin to reference the anti-social verbal savagery, a sort of
machine gun fusillade all around the polity. With utter disregard for sociality.

Most ominously, history tells us the instigation of a regime of constant lying signals
the threat of an authoritarian strongman takeover. A fantasy is baseline and the
springboard for seizure of power, as further lies generate further pretext
construction (in history, for an example, the figment of a master race entitled to
obliterate others not so far, sadly, from white nationalists brought center stage in
the sociopaths cohort).

Besides a sociopath on course to a strongman takeover, what is our larger context?

Sundered in two

An America sundered in two.

The companion piece here, Diagnosis, and prognosis, goes to one of the two
Americas, those forgotten and abandoned. One half, on one side of a stark chasm.

America, where two camps are utterly unable to countenance or deal with each
other. What can possibly succeed, with such utter division?

The time cries out screams for national reconciliation.

How, to reach a government of national unity with real change?

Actually, the outline of steps forward appears fairly straightforward.

One individual from either party in the top two executive slots. Since the
Democrats won what we consider to be the democratic decider, namely a
popular majority, they take the presidency. But in fact the two individuals
commit to a co-presidency.

Both the candidates that the parties mounted this cycle were deemed widely
and deeply unacceptable. Those two disqualified themselves.

Instead, there are imminent individuals out there. The season has made the
few obvious choices almost unmistakable. The challenge of course is to
agree just which of them.

What is to be done?
page 4

With a fully Republican Congress, checks on policy will be built in. Vice versa,
with real change committed, there will also be transparency against any
further Congressional obstructionism.

The agenda overall must finally be fundamental change, from plutocratic

plundering, toward popular welfare. Every policy step by this unity government
will be gauged against that measure.
Nuts and bolts
With sufficient commitment, there can be agreement among Democrats on the
person for that half of the Electors vote. Equally, there are Republicans of honor
and integrity who will appreciate the call to reconciliation and away from the
shame currently hovering around the party of Lincoln.
Trump shows 306 Electoral votes. Only 37 of those Electors, out of 538 total
not 7 percent would vote honestly, to reach the unity outcome.

According to Fox, there are "roughly 160 Republican [Electors] in the 15 states that
Trump won and dont have laws [binding Electors] to the winner: Arizona,
Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North
Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. Pennsylvania and
Utah immediately come to mind here, also perhaps Georgia and Arizona.
For "states that by law require [Electors] to ballot for the nominee who won the
most votes, 'their vote would still be counted [for the Democratic unity candidate],
they would simply pay a small fine.' " ( ! ) Among these, Florida and North Carolina
come to mind, particularly.
That comes out to as many as six states, at least, for finding Republican Electors to
vote the unity slate states where sentiment strongly objected to the sociopath.
Prominent Republicans, who are committed to a unity government, can not only
identify an appropriate individual for the Electors ballot. They can identify the 37
Republican Electors. Most to the point, they can sit down with those individuals, to
discuss the way forward.
Some many will say the nation is not at a sufficient state of crisis, to precipitate a
unity government, designed to bridge the chasm.
What do you think? Upon reviewing the data above, what do you conclude? Where
and whom will you lead?

What is to be done?
page 5

If there was a November pitchfork surprise, there can now be a December Electoral
College surprise though quite opposite the last time the popular vote went down,
in 2000, also in our lifetimes.

This time there is the wherewithal to take a joint path together.



David Allen
Concord MA

updated to be current
December 15, 2016

https://goo.gl/HhwrHz

POSTSCRIPT

A sample of extraordinary efforts to correct the election outcome:

Larry Lessig alerts that the Electoral College can be found unconstitutional.
Most notably, 48 states choose Electors on a winner-take-all basis. That
violates, egregiously, constitutionally enshrined one person, one vote.
Then the 2.8 million-popular vote outright majority prevails.
Five state vote recounts are underway, pushing past Trump resistance.
While incomplete, they unearthed for instance pervasive voting equipment
failure in Detroit.

Vis--vis Russian hacking:
A Presidential investigation of the hacking began, urgently.
The CIA finds Russia did enter the campaign to tilt the result to Trump. One
CIA voice sees a 9/11-level event, with another vote the only possibility.

Vis--vis the Electoral College vote, itself:
A group of blue state Electors have joined together and seek common cause
with enough red state Electors.
My original Commentary, as published here, proposes a government of
national unity.

The Hill offers a recent summary.

Perhaps no other American presidential election has precipitated so much, such
varied such immediate effort to correct it.